Bathing suit



July 22, 1930. w. KESSLER 1,771,046

BATHING SUIT Filed April 18, 1929 Patented July 22, I931).

PATENT OFFICE .WILLIAIH L. KESSLEB, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS BATHING SUIT Application filed April 18,

My invention relates to suspensories particularly adapted to bathing suits, although it may have the general application.

One of the objects of my invention is the 6 provision of a suspensory for the'interior of a garment, which suspensory shall be stretchable laterally but resistant against upright or longitudinal pulls.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a suspensory device which shall have enlarged or widened ends diverging upwardly from the narrow crotch portion and" In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view partly in sec- 7 tion of a bathing suit embodying my inven= tion;

Fig. 2 is a side view, a part of which is insectional elevat1on;'

' Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an adjustable suspensory device detached from the garment with which it is intended to be used; and

Fig. 4 is a front view of the crotch portion of a suspensory device with hands applied to illustrate the lateral stretching of the material of the suspensory device.

As shown in Fig. 1, the body portion 5 of a bathing suit is provided with upper shoulder straps 6, 6, and with openings at 7, 7. The skirt portion 8 may be of any length desired. At the waist line 9 is secured by means of suitable stitching a trunk or trousers portion of the bathing suit, such trunk or trousers portion being designated 10 in Figs. 1 and 2 and rovided with openings 11, 11 for the 1e 0 the person wearing the bathing suit. etween, the openings 11, 11 is a gusset 12, which extends along the crotch. The upcure a comfortable fit.

1929. Serial No. 356,040.

per ends of the usset 12 may extend to the waist line at the ront and at the rear.

The suspensory device shownin perspectlve in Fig. 3 may comprise two sections 13 and 14, the upper end of each of which is spread out or widened so as to secure elongated portions 15 and 16 for connection asby stitching to the upper edge of the trousers or trunk portion 10 and the waist line 9 of the body portion 5 of the garment. The material of which the sections 13 and':1 4 is preferably composed is recessed longitudinally, such as cloth or woolen goods, or ribbed cotton goods which shall be stretchable laterally but adapted to resist 'lo ngitudinalpulls. Such stretching is illustrated in Fig. 4, where the hands 17, 14 of the person putting on thegarment may apply his fingers in such aman' ner as to secure widenin at the crotch to se uitable supports 18. 18 may be provided at the lateraLedges of the sections 13'and '14 of the suspensory device.

The vertical'ribbing is illustrated by the up-, right lines 19 in the various views.

WhileJzhe sections 13 and 14 maybe integral or inone piece, I prefer to make them in two'pieces' and button them together as illustrated in thedrawings. For thispurpose reinforcing straps 20, 20 may be provided on the forward end or'front end of the narrow crotch portion of the. section 13 and buttonholes provided as indicated at 21, 21. Buttons, four of which are shown at 22, 22 in Fig. 1, may be secured to the front nar row portion of the section 14. It can readily as be seen that ,the length of the suspensory de-' vice may be adjusted according to whether the upper buttonholes 21- are secured to the upper or lower buttons 22.

prefer; to have;the adjusting means. be- 9 tweenthesections 13 and 14 so ar'rahged that when the sections are buttoned together .the suspensory device will be fastened above the gusset 12, as shown in Figs. 1 and2. By reason of the laterally stretchable nature of the suspensory device a comfortabIefit may be secured at the crotch and the connection with longitudinal pulls between the ends of the suspensory device will be resistant. By reason of the diverging or widened upper ends 51-0 Y of the sections 13 and 14 the pull from the y "P tributed over a wide range at the waist line 9, and furthermore such diverging ends 'of the sections 13 and 14 will provide supports for the suspensory device from the shoulder straps 6, 6.

From the foregoing it will be seen that all of the parts of the bathing suit includin the suspenso device may be permanently eld together y stitchin at the waist line 9.

. Prior to putting on t e garment the sections an upper body portion having shoulderstraps, of a lower trunk portion having its v ment of a body portion 13 and 14 of the suspensor device may be buttoned together at the ad ustment desired. When puttin on the garment the feet and legs may be p aced through the neck opening 23 and inserted throughthe openings 11, 11 of the trunk 10 and the body ortion 5 pulled up, the arms inserted throug the openings, the shoulder straps 6, 6 adjusted to the proper position, and the suspensory device finally fitted into comfortable position as illustrated in Fig. 4, with the skirt portion 8 of the bathing suit and the trunk 10 including the gusset 12 suspended freely from the waist line.

9, While, as above explained, the longitudinal ribbing of the ribbed portions 13 and 14 will resist the pulls from the shoulder straps 6, 6 without any discomfort, the connections of the upper ends of the sections 13 and 14 of the suspensory device will be widely distributed at'the waist line 9.

Obviouslythose skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangearts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and I desire therefore not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Havingthus fully described and shown an embodiment ofmy invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a batbin suit, the combination with a suspensory device divergin upwardly from both ends of the crotch, an means securing the ends of such suspensory device to the body portion adjacent thewaist line to secure support from said shoulder. straps. 4

2. In a bathing suit, the combination with upper waist ed e secured to said body por tion to formsu stantially 'a continuation of said body portion, a suspensory device diverging upwardly from the crotch portion and being attached both at the front and at the rear to said trunk. and body portion substantially at said waistedge to secure support from said shoulder straps. A

3. Ina bathing suit, the combination with a body portion having shoulder straps and a trunk portion, of a suspensory strap secured to said parts at the waist line thereof rtion 5 of the garment will bedisa aving shoulder straps, of

to secure support from said shoulder straps and constructed to yield to lateral stretching but to resist longitudinal'fpulls, and means for adjusting the length 0 such suspensory' strap. a

4, In a bathing suit, the combination with a body portion, of a trunk permanently secured to the body portion. at the waist line, said trunk having a gusset at the crotch between the openings for the legs of the person wearing the suit, anda suspensory strap permanently secured at its upper endsto said body portion approximately at the waist line, the said strap being divergent from the crotch portion for securing to said body portion of the suit with the crotch portion of the strap spaced above saidgussct.

5. In a bathing suit, the combination with a body portion having shoulder straps, of a trunk having a gusset at the crotch and per-' manently secured to said body portion at the waist line, and a suspenso strap having a narrow crotch. portion an widened up er ends secured to said trunk and body portion at said waist line with the said crotch portion Spaced above said gusset.

6. In a bathing suit, the combination with a body portion havin shoulder straps, of a trunk secured to said fbody portion and having a gusset, and a sus ensory strap. within said trunk and spaced a ove said gusset, said suspensory strap being arranged-at its upper ends to extend under vertical lines from the said shoulder straps, and said strap being composed of ribbed cloth to resist longitudinal pulls from the shoulder strapsbut yielding to lateral stretching at the crotch.

7. In a bathing suit, the combinationvwith a body portion having shoulder straps, of a trunk portion secured thereto at the waist line, and a sus ensory strap secured to the said body portion at such waist line to suspend the same from said shoulder strapsv and spaced above the crotch portion of said trunk, said strap comprising two pieces each having widened upper ends and overlapping adjustably connected narrow lower ends in front of the crotch, and each piece'being of ribbed cloth to resist longitudinal pull from the shoulder straps but yielding to lateral stretching while being adjustably connected at the crotch. a

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this 16th day of April, A. D. ,1929.

WILLIAM L. KESSLER. 

